Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Resources

1. Energy Resources Chapter 5 Preview Section 1 Fossil Fuels Section 2Alternative Energy Concept Map

2. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Bellringer What does the term fossil fuel imply about the source of these fuels? Can you make a reasonable assumption about what types of fossils the fuels have formed from? What type? Write your answers in your science journal.

3. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 What You Will Learn • Fossil fuels are important energy resources. • Fossil fuels form slowly over very long periods of time. • Fossil fuels are found and obtained in different ways. • Fossil fuels are nonrenewable and create pollution when burned.

4. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Fossil Fuels as Energy Resources • The fuels that are used to run cars, planes, and factories and to generate electricity are called energy resources. • Energy resources are natural resources that humans use to generate energy. • Most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels.

5. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Fossil Fuels as Energy Resources, continued • A fossil fuel is a nonrenewable energy resource that forms from the remains of plants and animals that lived long ago. • Petroleum, coal, and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels. • When fossil fuels are burned, they release energy.

6. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Fossil Fuels as Energy Resources, continued • Most of the energy released is heat. • Power plants and machines use that heat to produce electrical energy. • Electrical energy is used to power lights and electrical appliances.

7. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Fossil Fuels as Energy Resources, continued • The use of a fossil fuel is limited by the way in which the fuel is obtained and by the availability of the fuel. • It is also limited by the process in which the fuel is converted into energy and by the results of that process.

8. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Fossil Fuels as Energy Resources, continued • Fossil fuels are used more often than other sources because they are less expensive to obtain. • Fossil fuels are nonrenewable because they take millions of years to form. • Therefore, fossil fuels must be conserved.

9. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels • All living things contain the element carbon. • Fossil fuels form from the remains of living things, so fossil fuels contain carbon. • Most of the carbon in fossil fuels exists as hydrocarbons, which are hydrogen-carbon compounds.

10. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • A liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds is called petroleum. • Petroleum is commonly known as crude oil. • Petroleum is separated into several products in factories called refineries.

11. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • Examples of petroleum products include gasoline, jet fuel, plastics, kerosene, diesel fuel, and fuel oil. • More than 40% of the world’s energy comes from petroleum products.

12. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • Petroleum products are the main fuel for airplanes, trains, boats, ships, and automobiles. • Crude oil is so valuable it is often called black gold.

13. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • A gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons is called natural gas. • Most natural gas is used for heating, but some is used for generating electrical energy. • Your kitchen stove may be powered by natural gas.

14. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • An advantage of using natural gas is that burning natural gas causes less air pollution than burning petroleum does. • However, natural gas is very flammable. • Sometimes, gas leaks lead to fires or deadly explosions.

15. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • Methane, CH4, is the main component of natural gas. • Other components, such as butane and propane, can also be separated from natural gas. • Butane and propane are used as fuel for camp stoves and outdoor grills.

16. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • The solid fossil fuel that humans use most is coal. • Coal is a fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material. • Coal was once the major source of energy in the United States.

17. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • People burned coal to heat their homes. • They also used coal for transportation. • Many trains in the 1800s and early 1900s were powered by coal-burning steam locomotives.

18. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • As cleaner alternatives became available, people reduced their use of coal. • Coal was used less because burning coal produces large amounts of air pollution. • People now use petroleum products instead of coal for transportation and they use natural gas for heating.

19. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Types of Fossil Fuels, continued • However, many power plants burn coal for heat to turn turbines that generate electrical energy. • These power plants use pollution controls such as scrubbers and filters to reduce air pollution from the burning of coal.

20. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form? • All fossil fuels form from the buried remains of ancient organisms. PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS • Petroleum and natural gas form mainly from the remains of microscopic sea organisms. • When these organisms die, their remains settle to the ocean floor.

21. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • The remains are buried in sediment. • Over time, the sediment is compacted and slowly becomes rock. • Through physical and chemical changes over millions of years, the remains of the organisms become petroleum and natural gas.

22. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • Under the pressure of overlying rocks and sediments, the fossil fuels can move through permeable rocks. • Permeable rocks are rocks through which fluids can move. • These permeable rocks become reservoirs that hold petroleum and natural gas.

23. Energy Resources Chapter 5 Petroleum and Gas Formation

24. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • The formation of petroleum and natural gas is an ongoing process. • Part of the remains of today’s sea life will become petroleum and natural gas millions of years from now.

25. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued COAL • Coal forms underground over millions of years when pressure and heat cause changes in the remains of swamp plants. • When these plants die, they sink to the bottom of the swamp. • If they do not decay completely, coal formation may begin.

26. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • The first step in coal formation is the change of plant remains into peat. • Peat is brown, crumbly matter made mostly of plant material and water. • Peat is not coal. However, in some parts of the world, peat is dried and burned for heat or as fuel.

27. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • If peat is buried in sediment, heat and pressure increase and the peat is converted into coal. • Pressure and heat force water and gases out of the coal. • As a result, the coal becomes harder, and its carbon content increases.

28. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • The amount of heat and pressure determines the type of coal that forms. • Lignite forms first, followed by bituminous coal, and finally, anthracite. • The formation of coal can stop at any stage of the process.

29. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued

30. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Do Fossil Fuels Form?, continued • Today, all three types of coal are mined throughout the world. • The greater the carbon content of the coal, the more cleanly the coal burns. • However, when burned, all types of coal release heat and pollute the air.

31. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Where Fossil Fuels Are Found • Fossil fuels are found in many parts of the world. • Some fossil fuels are found on land. Others are found beneath the ocean in Earth’s crust. • The United States has large reserves of petroleum, natural gas, and coal.

32. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Where Fossil Fuels Are Found, continued

33. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Where Fossil Fuels Are Found, continued • Despite its large reserves of fossil fuel, the United States imports petroleum. • More than one-half of the petroleum used by the United States is imported from the Middle East, South America, Africa, Canada, and Mexico.

34. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Fossil Fuels Are Obtained • The method that is used to obtain a fuel depends on the type of fuel and location of the fuel. • People remove petroleum and natural gas from the ground by drilling wells into rock that contains these resources. • Oil wells exist on land and in the ocean.

35. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 How Fossil Fuels Are Obtained, continued • For offshore drilling, engineers mount drills on platforms that are secured to the ocean floor, or that float at the ocean’s surface. • People obtain coal either by mining deep beneath Earth’s surface or by surface mining. • Surface mining, or strip mining, is the removal of soil and surface rock to reveal coal deposits.

36. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels • The methods of obtaining and using fossil fuels can affect the environment negatively. • When coal is burned without pollution controls, sulfur dioxide is released. • Sulfur dioxide combines with moisture in the air to produce sulfuric acid.

37. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • Sulfuric acid is one of the acids in acid precipitation. • Acid precipitation is rain, sleet, or snow that has a high concentration of acids because of air pollutants. • Acid precipitation negatively affects wildlife, plants, buildings, and statues.

38. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • Coal mining can create environmental problems. • Surface mining removes soil. Most plants need soil for growth, and some animals need soil for shelter. • If land is not properly restored after surface mining, wildlife habitats can be destroyed.

39. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • Coal mining can lower water tables and can pollute water supplies with heavy metals. • The potential for underground mines to collapse endangers the lives of miners.

40. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • Producing, transporting, and using petroleum can cause environmental problems. • In June 2000, the carrier Treasure spilled more than 400 tons of oil off the coast of South Africa. • The toxic oil coated thousands of blackfooted penguins and hindered their ability to swim or catch fish.

41. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • Burning petroleum products causes an environmental problem called smog. • Smog is photochemical haze that forms when sunlight acts on industrial pollutants or gasoline engine exhaust. • Smog is particularly serious in cities such as Los Angeles.

42. Section 1 Fossil Fuels Chapter 5 Problems with Fossil Fuels, continued • In Los Angeles, millions of automobiles burn gasoline. • The mountains that surround Los Angeles prevent the wind from blowing the pollutants away. • This combination of factors causes smog to build up.

43. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Bellringer Which, if any, of the alternative energy facilities listed in this chapter might work well in your community? Support your choice with three reasons. Write your ideas in your science journal.

44. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 What You Will Learn • Many types of alternative energy resources are used to generate power. • Alternative energy resources produce less pollution than fossil fuels do. • The use of alternative energy resources has both advantages and disadvantages.

45. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Alternative Energy • Most of your energy needs are met by the use of fossil fuels. • However, a variety of technologies have been invented to convert energy from alternative sources. • Each alternative energy source has advantages and disadvantages.

46. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Nuclear Energy • The energy released when the nuclei of atoms are split or combined is called nuclear energy. • Nuclear energy can be obtained by fission or fusion. • Fission is the process in which the nuclei of radioactive atoms are split into two or more smaller nuclei.

47. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Nuclear Energy, continued • When fission takes place, a large amount of energy is released. • This energy can be used to generate electrical energy.

48. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Nuclear Energy, continued • Nuclear energy produces a large amount of energy. • Because no fuel is burned, nuclear power does not cause any air pollution. • In addition, mining the fuel does not result in massive strip mines or cause the loss of wildlife habitat.

49. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Nuclear Energy, continued • However, nuclear power plants produce dangerous radioactive wastes. • These wastes must be stored for a very long period of time where the radiation they emit cannot harm anyone. • A nuclear power plant could also release harmful radiation into the environment accidentally.

50. Section 2 Alternative Energy Chapter 5 Nuclear Energy, continued • Nuclear plants must release extra heat from the fission reaction. • The heat may disrupt local ecosystems. • Thus, cooling towers must be used to cool water before it is released into local rivers or the ocean.